Dispenser for granular materials



Sept. 1 1953 c. B. OVERBAUGH 2,650,742

DISPENSER FOR GRANULAR MATERIALS Filed May 22, 1950 Ihwentor QHARLES 8., OVERBAUGH wmmwma .a vow.

PER @WQL mtornegs iatented Sept. 1, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to dispensers for granulated materials, and more particularly to dispensers commonly used to hold salt, sugar and other such condiments whose particles tend to deliquesce and cohere to form lumps or a solid mass in the presence of moisture, and has as object to provide in such a dispenser a new and improved dryer element effective to provide a suflicient degree of dehydration of the air within the container to prevent lump formation oi the granulated particles therein.

Another object of this invention is to provide, in a dispenser for granulated materials, a new and improved structure for holding a dryer element which permits the dryer element to be quickly and easily installed or removed.

Another object of this invention is to provide, in a dispenser of granulated materials, a new and improved form of dryer element which is adapted to be disposed throughout the length of the dispenser body to thereby effectively dehydrate the air within the dispenser throughout its length and so avoid lump formation or crusting of the granulated particles in particular regions.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved dryer element for dispensers of granulated materials and a new and improved structure within the dispenser for holdin the dryer element which, together, form an e eedingly simple and economical combination which is adaptable for use in a wide variety of types and constructions of dispensers.

With these and other objects in view, all of which more fully hereinafter appear, my inven tion comprises certain new and novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of elements as herein described and as defined in the appended claims, and illustrated, in preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 illustrates, in section, a conventional salt shaker having the present invention incorporated therein.

Figure 2 is a section as taken on the indicated line 2-2 at Fig. 1.

Figure 3 illustrates, in section, another type of salt shaker with the present invention incorporated therein.

Figure 4 illustrates, in section and on a reduced scale, a spout type dispenser, such as is commonly used to contain granulated sugar, having the present invention incorporated therein.

In regions where there is appreciable humidity there is ever present the problem of granulated substances, such as salt and sugar, becoming caked or hardened or lumpy through a tendency of such particles to deliquesce to a slight extent and thereby cohere to each other. While such action doe not impair the quality of the substance, it does render it difiicult to use in an ordinary type of dispenser which is designed for freeflowing granulated materials. Such a dispenser is the conventional salt shaker illustrated at Figs. 1, 2 and 3. To remedy this undesirable condition of lumpin or crusting of the material, there have heretofore been developed various substances which act as dryers or dehydrating agents, and various attempts have been made to incorporate such dryers in conventional dispensers such as salt shakers, the usual mode of applicaion being to place the dryer in the bottom of the dispenser. lhis is not fully effective because the granulated material is dehydrated only in the lower region of dispenser adjacent the dryer. Still other arrangements have been devised which overcome this objection, but they are so bulky that the effective volume of the container is reduced to a large extent. The present invention comprises, in essence, a drying element formed as a cylindrical spire adapted to extend throughout the length of the dispenser at its center, being held in position by a stake upstanding the dispenser bottom.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated at Figs. 1 and 2, the salt shaker It is formed as a cylindrical cupped body H having a threaded rim portion i2, and a perforated lid l3 suitably threaded to be turned onto the rim I 2 to close the shaker except for the perforations in the lid. A cylindrical pointed stake l4 centrally upstands from the bottom i5 of the body I I, and this stake may be formed integral with the bottom i5, as illustrated, or it may be attached thereto in any other suitable manner not shown, such mode of attachment depending upon the nature of the material from which the body I! and bottom i5 are made.

The drying element [6 may assume several forms, but is in essence a cylindrical spire having a diameter somewhat greater than the stake i4, and it may be formed of various absorbent substances such as cellulose, for example, which are known in the art, or it may be of porous structure and carry various absorbent substances, many of which are known to the art. The base I! of this element is opened interiorly to form a tubular portion i8 whereby it may slidingly en case, and thereby be seated upon, the stake i i. This drying element [6 is obviously a simple and easily packaged unit, simply and easily removsimilar to parts I l and 12 of Fig. 1.

able from and replaceable in the salt shaker during, and in little more time than is required by, the refilling of the shaker. Moreover, the element is adapted to extend throughout the effective length of the shaker and, therefore, keeps the entire contents of the shaker sufiiciently dehydrated to insure free movement of the granulated particles. H t

In alternate construction of a salt shaker, such as illustrated at Fig. 3, the shaker I is formed with its body ll and lid I3 as an integral unit, and to provide access to the interior for purposes of charging with salt, there is provided-a centrally disposed orifice I9 at the bottom l. This orifice is conveniently closed by a "cork 20, and in the present invention the stake l4] is connected to the cork 20 to upstand the bottom l5 when the cork is positioned in the orifice [9.

It is seen that with this construction the dryin'g element It must be proportioned to be inserted into the orifice l9,'and that its application is extremely simple, it being necessary to merely placethe drying element over the stake M on the cork Hand the element will be properly positioned when the shaker is closed by the cork.

The dispenser illustrated at Fig. 4 is of a different type from'the others illustrated, and comprises a body ll" having a threaded rim [2" However, the lid i3? is not perforated but is provided with a spout 2! through which granulated material may .be poured This spout is normally closed by a hinged lid 22 to prevent the ingress of moisture from the atmosphere. In this construction the stake l4 is similar to those in the other figures and upstands the bottom '15 to carry a drying element It as hereinbefore described. However, Where all of the granulated material is to be poured'from the spout, the drying element may be suitably formed with a curved end l6 so that said end may be directed and held toward the spout toaccelerate the flow of granulated materials thereto. 7

While lhave herein described and illustrated many details of construction of my invention,

. alternatives and. equivalent constructions, within the scope and spirit of my invention, will occur to those skilled in the art, and therefore it is my desirevthat I be limitedin my protection only by the spirit and proper scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for hygroscopic granular ma terial having a container with a dispensing top thereon, comprising, in combination, a generally cylindrical pin upstanding from the bottom and centrally of the container and having a pointed top, and a generally cylindrical member composed of absorbent material and having a central, cylindrical cavity whereby the member is adapted to selectively slidingly encase and be uprightly supported by, and slidingly removed from said pin, said member being substantially the length oi said container.

2. A dispenser as defined in claim 1, wherein said container has an orifice centrally through its bottom and a plug normally closing said orifice and forming a part of the bottom but being removable from said orifice, said pin being carried by and centrally of said plug.

3. The dispenser defined in claim 1 wherein said dispensing top is a perforated lid.

l. The dispenser defined in claim 6 wherein said dispensing top is a lid containing a "spout.

5. The dispenser defined in claim 6 wherein the top has an off-center opening and the top portion of the absorbent member is deflected toward said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent T'TNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 871,803 Kendall Nov. 26,-1907 1,947,600 Isenhower Feb. 20,1934

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,864 Great Britain Aug. 15, 1912 

